Noah Goertemiller of Delhi, left, Allison Bartlett of Bellevue and Jay Kiger of Fort Mitchell play a trivia game at Molly Malone's Irish Pub. / The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger

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COVINGTON — Walk into Molly Malone’s Irish Pub on any given weekend, and you’ll find it packed with customers. Same with Keystone Bar & Grill a few blocks away.

You’d never know they and other businesses in the Roebling Point entertainment district were competing with a brand-new casino and a popular 18-acre entertainment complex just half a mile away.

In the three years since The Banks opened on the northern shore of the Ohio River, Covington bars and restaurants say their business has, for the most part, continued to boom despite competition from the new bars and upscale restaurants and a lingering recession.

At Molly Malone’s, sales have grown every year since it opened in August 2007. Keystone is one of the top-performing locations for Cincinnati-based Four Entertainment Group, which owns 10 bars and restaurants in the region’s urban core.

“We are still doing exceptionally well,” said 4EG co-owner Dan Cronican. “It has not negatively impacted us at all to have the Banks and the casino across the river.”

Molly’s has actually benefited: Northern Kentuckians who work at The Banks often stop by for a drink on their way home, say co-owners Josh Rhodes and Paul Shanley.

It isn’t all roses and sunshine: In the MainStrasse Village entertainment district a few blocks south, sales are down at Cock & Bull English Pub for the second straight year, co-owner Chris Penn told city officials recently.

And the Roebling Point businesses recently received approval from the city to extend the hours they can offer outdoor music, a move they said was needed to help compete with The Banks.

“Every year’s just gotten a little bit better, so it’s hard for us to complain,” said Rhodes, the Molly Malone’s co-owner. “I will say, with what’s going on in downtown Cincinnati and the types of bars and restaurants that are opening, it’s definitely getting more competitive. You have to find ways to reach out and differentiate yourself from them.”

But for the most part, Covington business owners aren’t overly concerned.

“The restaurant business is always competitive,” said Jim Gilliece, co-owner of MainStrasse mainstay Chez Nora, which celebrates 19 years in April. “Certainly, The Banks and the casino have offered newer competition, but history tells me that over time, the newness will wear off a little and their spike won’t be as high.”

City and business leaders also stress that Covington offers a different experience than The Banks or the casino – locally owned businesses that offer personalized service, located in historic districts with an intensely local feel.

“You go to Cock & Bull with your pet, and they bring out a bowl of water with ice in it and put it right next to your table. I think that’s what a lot of people like about (MainStrasse),” said Kim Blank, executive director of the MainStrasse Village Association.

Businesses and city leaders also say the competition is actually good for Covington – the old “rising tide lifts all boats” theory.

“Anything that brings anyone down to the river is a plus for me,” Gilliece said. “If we can get them off the hills, whether it’s the seven hills of Cincinnati or the suburbs of Northern Kentucky, whether they’re coming to The Banks or to Covington, that’s a good thing.”

Business owners don’t view it as Cincinnati versus Covington; they view it as one riverfront region thriving and growing.

In fact, some believe that the lack of growth on the Cincinnati riverfront prior to The Banks and the casino was an obstacle to growth in Covington.

“The development of The Banks has actually brought growth and vitality one block closer to our door,” said Pat Frew, executive director of the Covington Business Council.

“As growth continues on the Cincinnati riverfront and as we begin to see renewed growth here in Covington, you’re going to see that channel of water narrow a lot in terms of people’s perceptions.”

City Manager Larry Klein knows that firsthand. His son lived at The Banks for about a year and would regularly come across the river to have lunch at Keystone.

“I don’t see it as competition, I see it as complementary,” Klein said. “It’s not like we’re making Chevrolets and they’re making Fords and we’re competing.

“When people come downtown, it’s Cincinnati and it’s Covington. The river brings us together; it doesn’t divide us. I’m sure some people look at it as competition, but the consumer doesn’t look at it as having to choose one side or another.”■